After the success of the NBC television series, My Name is Earl, executive producer Greg Garcia took on another show. Raising Hope follows the life of Jimmy Chance after he accidentally impregnates a serial killer and attempts to raise the baby with his equally inept parents.
Raising Hope is a hilarious series, but it is also at times incredibly heartwarming. The show made viewers laugh, cry, and fall in love with the Chance family. Although Raising Hope only lasted four seasons it received positive reviews and nominations for several awards. The series also snuck in some fun references to other shows and has its share of interesting behind the scenes facts.
10 The Original Tite of The Show Was Different
When the cast and crew shot the pilot for Raising Hope, the original title was "Keep Hope Alive." However, the name was changed before the series aired out of concern of a lawsuit from Jesse Jackson. Raising Hope ended up being a more fitting title for the series anyway.
Although "Keep Hope Alive" is a funny play on the fact that Jimmy had no idea what he was doing when he first became a father, the title change better reflects his determination to do the very best that he can for his daughter.
9 The Series Has Many Ties To 'My Name Is Earl'
Executive producer Greg Garcia managed to sneak in quite a few ties to his other show, My Name is Earl. For example, everyone from the lead cast of My Name is Earl makes a guest appearance at least once in Raising Hope.
The nursing home that Maw Maw goes to is also called the Earl J. Hickey Memorial Nursing Home, and in the episode "It's A Hopeful Life" a My Name is Earl the movie poster can be seen at the theater.
8 Shannon Woodward Almost Wasn't Sabrina
It would be really hard to imagine Raising Hope without Shannon Woodward as Sabrina, but that was almost the case. The pilot for Raising Hope was originally shot with a different actress because Woodward backed out of the screen test.
She apparently got cold feet because she had never done comedy before, but luckily Garcia called her and convinced her to reconsider.
7 Cloris Leachman Was Prepared To Play Maw Maw Until She Was 92 Years Old
Raising Hope definitely would not be the same without Cloris Leachman's hilarious part as Maw Maw. When Leachman was given the role, Garcia estimated that the show would be on the air for 7 years.
Leachman would be 92 by the series end, but she had no qualms about that at all. Although the series only ended up lasting four seasons, it's pretty impressive too know that Leachman was in it for the long haul.
6 Jimmy And Sabrina Have A Special Song
In the episode "Happy Halloween" Jimmy and Sabrina dance to a song called "White Night" by The Postelles. Unfortunately, they are interrupted by Sabrina's then-boyfriend Wyatt.
Fans were delighted when Sabrina finally ended up with Jimmy and their relationship took off. In the episode, "Not Indecent, But Not Quite Decent Enough Proposal" the same song plays after Jimmy proposes to Sabrina.
5 Hope Was Played By Multiple Babies
In total, Hope Chance was played by three different babies throughout the series. The first baby Hope appeared only in the pilot episode.
After that, twins Baylie and Rylie Cregut took up the role. They appeared in the second episode of the series and remained in the role until the end of the show.
4 There Is A Message In The Building Blocks
The opening credits to Raising Hope are shot with images of the cast that look like pages from a children's book.
The final image shows the Chance family, with Hope playing with building blocks. The blocks Hope is playing with spell out the word "HELP."
3 There Are Guest Appearances From 'That '70s Show' Actors
Wilmer Valderrama (who played Fez on That '70s Show) guest stars in Raising Hope as the new love interest of Sabrina's mother. Fans probably caught on to this considering he featured pretty prominently in several episodes. However, what might have gone unnoticed is that another That '70s Show star had a small part in Raising Hope.
In "Don't Vote For This Episode" Danny Masterson appears as Lucy Carlyle's boyfriend, just before she started her killing spree. And considering what Lucy does to her boyfriends, it's not hard to imagine why Masterson didn't show up in any other episodes.
2 Jimmy's Fruit Allergy Error
Raising Hope has a small error in the storyline that until the episode "Family Secrets" Jimmy believed he was allergic to fruit. His parents finally admit that this was a lie in this episode, and after this discovery, Jimmy goes on a fruit binge at Howdy's.
However during a flashback in "Don't Vote For This Episode" Jimmy is living at Howdy's market and can be seen eating apples and bananas. This is when he apparently still believed he had a fruit allergy.
1 One Episode References 'Sons Of Anarchy'
In the episode "Squeek Means Squeek" a special guest from another television series makes an appearance that fans may have missed. When Jimmy helps Barney with his auxiliary police patrol, they come across a man who needs help removing a splinter from his niece's finger.
The man is played by Christopher Douglas Reed and he is clearly wearing a 'SAMRO' jacket. Reed played 'Filthy Phil' in Sons of Anarchy.
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